Prospective NYSC Members: Fast Track Your Career Through Internship Opportunities

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September 29, 2019

Some of my online connections that recently completed their undergraduate programmes, sent me messages requesting for guidance on how to start the next phase of their career.

I consider that moves plausible because the increasing level of competition for entry level jobs is leaving many people highly vulnerable victims of “long waiting” before first job is secured. The reason for this situation is of course, partly associated with the reality of “too many individuals pursuing too few jobs”. With this reality in view, how then can a young graduate go about things differently instead of having “joining the bandwagon” as the only option?

This brings to mind a saying “There are many ways to kill a rat ” which as kids, we used to remind another daring child, that is proving difficult to handle, that his or her case will be dealt with one way or the other.

Presently, the daring ‘rat’ in the lives of many Nigerian graduates is “getting a job fast after NYSC”. How can one avert waiting for several months/ years to do so? Refer here, for a personal account of how I got my first job, two weeks after national service, through showcasing of useful contributions I made during my NYSC programme.

The focus of this discussion is to present a guide which a prospective corps member can adopt prior to mobilization for national service and during the service year to fast track getting a job through internship position.

What NYSC Internship Opportunities Can Offer

I got to know about the importance of internship opportunities for corps members, when a colleague in my first place of work, narrated to me how his brother was retained by the firm where he did his national service. Then when I was hunting for my next job, one of the companies in which I was interested provided three channels through which they recruit. These included NYSC internship, entry level recruitment and experienced hires. The implication of this is that a corps member can, by distinguishing him or herself in such an establishment, become a permanent staff, without going through the rigorous process of job hunting and securing one, after national service.

Bearing this in mind, a prospective Corps member should be careful to deliberately shift attention from the popular jostling to secure postings to states that pay higher “allawee” to focusing on securing postings to institutions which offer an opportunity to gain ‘career lift’.

How To Secure NYSC Members Internship

Prior to NYSC mobilization, a prospective Corps member who is interested in securing an internship position, should do the following:

(1) make a list of the firms he/she is interested to work with
(2) Verify that the firms have openings for NYSC interns. This can be done by logging into their websites.
(3) For firms that have openings, follow the guide provided and register. Note that some big firms require prospective interns to register and notify them three months prior to the date the prospective interns will be available.
(4) Follow-up

Targets of a NYSC Intern

The dream of every progressive organization is to have the right man or woman for the right role. This is so critical for minimizing cost and accelerating growth. That’s why companies invest so much in the rigors of ensuring that they have the right individuals that’s suitable for their mission.

Securing an internship position in a firm of interest, offers a corps member an opportunity to demonstrate through quality and exemplary Service, that he/she is the kind of person the company wants to work with permanently. To this end, the individual must shift attention from “working for money only” to “doing more than paid for”, because the future depends on it. Here’s a guide

(1) Demonstrate resourcefulness in the performance of your role: The only way you can sustainably endear yourself to an organization you work with is by doing the job you should do and doing it very well.

(2) Build thriving connection with your boss and other persons in the organization: Not doing a job well and doing a good job that no one knows nothing about is not good at all here. If you get number one above right, it will be easier to develop thriving connection with those that matter in your firm.

(3) Volunteer for works which needs to be done but it appears no one is doing: Whereas you wouldn’t be helping yourself or your organization by leaving your tasks undone to volunteer for another, you’ll certainly win good scores for yourself by doing your job well and volunteering were needed.

(4) Tell your boss your intention: After you have created a niche for yourself in the heart of your boss, through resourceful deeds, find an ideal opportunity to let your boss know your interest to remain with the organization, to continue to render essential services / utilize your skills to solve problems and request for his or her recommendation to that end. Your good works will be doing the rest of the basic verification of your qualification while you focus on working with your boss or any other relevant person to make your dream come true.

If you have demonstrated through valuable contributions, that you are an ideal person to work with the firm, getting you onboard as a permanent staff is in their interest. It will save them lots of hiring cost. So it’s actually a win-win for you and the entity.

Vanguard newspapers and its horde of retractions should concern media stakeholders in Nigeria

By

Rasheed Adebiyi

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September 29, 2019

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Vanguard newspaper is one of the major daily news platforms in Nigeria founded in the 80’s and owned by a veteran journalist, Sam Amuka. It is one of the newspapers that has a vibrant online presence. Like other newspapers, Vanguard, owned by a veteran journalist, is expected to uphold the highest ethics of the profession to act responsibly, be accountable to the readers and pursue truth at all times. However, the reverse seems to be the case with the newspaper house. And the reasons are not far-fetched.

It is one of the most visible newspapers online occupying the 14th position among the top websites in the country. Yet, there is a need to watch the way the newspaper publishes stories and retract such stories at a very high frequency. A search for retraction on the newspapers website would reveal a plethora of stories the newspapers has retracted. The usual composition of the retraction usually makes one wonder if Vanguard has an editorial policy in place at all. As a teacher of journalism, one begins to wonder why Vanguard newspaper goes to bed with a story it has not been able to confirm. The age long journalism maxim is “if you are in doubt, leave out.” However, this maxim seems not to be for the media house as it keeps publishing and retracting stories at will.

Vanguard newspaper in publishing false stories does not discriminate against its victims – known and unknown; high and low; persons and organizations. All have been subjected to the mentally agonizing process of being lied against on Vanguard’s platform. And then the retraction would surface days or weeks later with the media organisation apologizing profusely for putting up untrue stories. The content of their corrigendum is both laughable and worrying at the same time.

A good example is the false story published against the personality of Arc (Pastor) Oyinmebi Bribena on May 8, 2019 headlined Amnesty Boss Dokubo Alleges Blackmail, Defamation by Bribena, Other. A retraction of the story was published on June 12, 2019 where the media organization apologised for publishing false, unsubstantiated news story against the personality of the man of God/Businessman. This was more than one month after the story had been online! Why the rush to publish a story you would come back to deny its veracity?

A much more recent editorial indiscretion of the Vanguard newspaper was displayed through the much talked about story against the personality of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who was wrongly accused in a story with the headline N90bn FIRS Election Fund: Osinbajo’s Problem not 2023 Politics. In disclaiming the story, Vanguard wrote : “…. we have since discovered that the story lacks factual substance and we hereby retract it in its entirety.” The retraction came two days after the story was published. Why does the media house rush to publish and come back to deny the fact of the story? Where is the gate-keeping role of the editorial team?

Putting up corrigendum for editorial mistakes by a newspaper house is a standard practice all over the world. However, it becomes alarming when such is becoming a house style as we seem to have it in the Vanguard newspaper’s case. Such culture queries the investigative powers of the newspaper and the credibility of its content. As a member of the fourth realm of the estate and the watchdog of the society, the Vanguard should tidy up its editorial policy and process to minimize the number of retractions it has to issue out. The Nigerian Press Council should as well challenge the media organization on the frequency of denying its stories.The publisher should charge his editorial board and management team to rise up to this challenge of editorial shoddiness by the media company. It is then that the principles of fairness, balance and truthfulness could be upheld by the media house.

Lessons from Design of Nations: From Faded Detroit to Ebullient Silicon Valley

By

Ndubuisi Ekekwe

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September 29, 2019

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Henry Ford began producing Model T in Detroit around 1908. In the 1960s, Detroit rose to the mountaintop and became one of the most important tech-cities in America, as entrepreneurs moved there, to pursue a future of starting a car company. The number of car startups in Detroit exceeded 100! And the future looked unbounded.

Then, OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) which began life in Baghdad (Iraq), in Sept 1960, started to work! OPEC’s work was to get members to control crude oil production in order to get more money per barrel in the international market.

OPEC contributed to the destruction of Detroit because prices of fuel went up even when Detroit car makers like Ford, GM and Chrysler were not paying deep attention to Japanese car makers who produced fuel-efficient vehicles. The American car makers have always liked their big cars, typically agents of fuel guzzling!

The Japanese introduced a huge shift, and made cars that used less fuel per mile driven, and consumers moved: expectation demand worked. Just like that, Detroit began a sustained decline as the big 3 car companies lost market shares with layoffs, and plant closings everywhere. Detroit has not recovered – in short, Detroit city went through bankruptcy, and the car makers were bailed out by the U.S. to ensure their continued existence.

Simply, Detroit was innovation. But Detroit declined. The modern American Detroit today is Silicon Valley. This is Google’s 21st birthday. Google’s impact cannot be overstated in our world; it has totally redesigned and transformed how we find and consume information. With Google, Facebook, Apple, Intel and amalgam of other companies, America has renewed even as Detroit faded.

With Uber and Lyft, adding a new layer on Detroit, U.S. will get a part of the game in most parts of the world, irrespective of the brand of cars people use. So, in Lagos or Nairobi, even if you are using Toyota for Uber, America will get a part of that revenue. Simply, creative destruction can come but nations with inherent internal capabilities will always emerge stronger.

Creative destruction can be described as the dismantling of long-standing practices in order to make way for innovation. Creative destruction was first coined by Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter in 1942. Schumpeter describes creative destruction as innovations in the manufacturing process that increase productivity, but the term has been adopted for use in many other contexts.

The Lesson for Nigeria

In this video, I have shared what needs to happen for us to have that internal capacities to renew. Yes, as the Kano groundnut pyramid was declining, Nigeria could have made Eket a powerful city for energy technologies. As the palm oil declined in Owerri along with cocoa in Ife, Kainji dam could have been boosted to power the next industries in Nigeria. We must be prepared for shifts and re-alignment as a nation, across all the geopolitical zones. All the young people are going to Silicon Valley, not Detroit, and America continues to thrive. Nigeria needs to see itself as one nation in order to have a big picture perspective on how to manage creative destruction as it happens.

Rise Networks Unveils AI Ideathon

By

Nnamdi Odumody

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September 29, 2019

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According to McKinsey, Artificial Intelligence will redesign the operating systems of various industries. It would make many sectors to become intelligent, fueled by data. The transformative effects will be felt in agriculture, education, energy, logistics and manufacturing, and in the process will contribute $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030.

Rise Networks, Nigeria’s premier AI powered learning, research and work readiness centre, that created ISE, the first career coach job Bot in West Africa, has launched a National Artificial Intelligence Ideathon for game changing ideas which will fix frictions in education, agriculture, healthcare and financial inclusion.

This AI Ideathon is open to data scientists, students, academicians, working professionals, developers and other enthusiasts across Nigeria who will develop innovative solutions that will solve various paralysis in the country and encourage industry focused research and development that will birth AI innovations to transform various sectors.

Winners will get an opportunity to present their AI applications to public sector decision makers, C-Suite players, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists who will help them execute and scale their solutions.

They will also be rewarded with modern work tools such as a 2018 13 inch Apple Macbook Pro+ $1000, a 13.5 inch Microsoft Surface Book 2, a 13 inch 2018 Apple Macbook Air along with the publication of their ideas in The Rise Labs National AI Innovation ebook, mentorship by AI thought leaders in Nigeria and around the globe, national public recognition and opportunity to network and fundraise at Workplan’s‘’Africa’s Action Plan on Education and the Future of Work for the Youth’’ on November 23rd 2019. Besides, they will get a free 3-6 months workspace, incubation and technical support at Rise Labs.

Entry submissions began on August 19th 2019 and will end on September 30th 2019. Participants must be 18 years and above while minor must have the consent of their parents or guardians.

Nigeria needs AI powered ideas to solve some of her challenges in security, education, healthcare, agriculture, logistics and transportation, retail, manufacturing, oil and gas, justice delivery to transition to an intelligent economy.

Studying The Endangered Discipline of Communication in Nigeria and The Ways Out

By

Rasheed Adebiyi

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September 28, 2019

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As a teacher who specializes in teaching media and communication studies, I have realized that the discipline is very competitive. The competition manifests in the number of graduates produced in the monotechnics, polytechnics and universities offering this course. Graduates who offered the course also get competition from graduates of other disciplines who are keenly interested and bountifully talented as broadcasters, writers and content provision generally. It is a talent driven discipline. People who are ordinarily gifted with the skills of presentation and writing would want to have a stake in the media and communication industry.

The power of learning from the internet is equally an issue. Young people now warehouse skills using YouTube and other websites offering free courses in the discipline. More so, some of the components of media and communication studies are highly sought after by the industry. When all these factors are put together, there is a high tendency to declare the media and communication studies a threatened species among other disciplines. High competition from the massive number of students offering the courses as well as external threat from those outside who are either talented or who employed self development to warehouse some of the skills that make one a complete mass communicator are pointers to the danger awaiting mass communication graduates beyond the four walls of the school.

The situation is made graver with tertiary institutions that fail to equip their students with the necessary skills. Most often, this is caused by the huge of number of students admitted. And largely by a lack of resources. Over populated classrooms make real and impactful training practically difficult. Studios that are supposed to be equipped and which should serve as a laboratory for the students to experiment their skills and discover themselves are most often and sadly under lock and key. Internship or what is particularly referred to as media attachment is not supervised by the departments. This makes students lose interest in ensuring that they get the necessary link up with the industry.

In the face of these issues with the pedagogy of communication and media studies, what could be the way forward for those who are currently on training for mass communication or media studies? As a teacher of mass communication, I have some pieces of advice for those in training and the graduates already in the labour market.

One, as students in communication or media studies, you have to ensure you get skilled up whether your department makes it a compulsory part of the curriculum or not. This means you have to take the path of self development. Fortunately, the internet is a big classroom. You can choose to learn whatever skills ranging from photography, editing or presentation skills. If you do not do so, those outside of the discipline are willing to go deeper and will give you a run for your money.

Two, practice is the next thing to embrace. After acquisition of skills in your area of choice, what you need to do create a space for yourself is to ensure you practise the skills you have learnt. You can create a blog and write for yourself. You can as well write for other platforms online. If you want to specialize in presentation, you can attach yourself to a local television or radio station by offering to give your service for free. The pay you get is the opportunity to create a portfolio for yourself and develop your work experience. Whether you create a platform for yourself to write for blogs or create your own blog or Youtube Channel, you get to stand out from competition.

Three, create a social media account to prepare for the world of work. Professional social media sites such as LinkedIn give you the platform to showcase yourself and market your skills. They also provide you the link to follow your choice media companies you want to work for. A display of your past works or writings can land you a job. They are also reference points for your employers to understand you have the required skill sets to function within their companies. This equally stands you out of the game.

As commonplace as these ideas may sound, they are important tips that students and graduates of communication or media studies and its variants in Nigeria need to uptake. I have noticed that there is a lack of the understanding of both the intensity of the competition from within and outside of the discipline as well as the required insight to prepare for the future. The earlier this is learnt, the better for the concerned segment of the Nigerian graduates.

Prospective NYSC Members: Fast Track Your Career Through Internship Opportunities